OK... we finally have a new home for the blog & podcast-- on our main Effortless English Club website!
The new Blog address is: www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com
New blog posts and new podcasts are on the right sidebar.
I add new ones almost every week :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Why So Quiet On The Blog & Podcast?
Why have I been so quiet?
Why so few blog and podcast posts recently?
Well, I'm currently working to move the blog (again!!)-- this time to the EffortlessEnglishClub.com URL.
So I uploaded Wordpress and am trying to learn how to use it. Another system to learn-- ugh :(
But I think Wordpress will have advantages long term. Ill be able to do a lot more with the site... and be able to integrate the lesson pages, the blog posts, and the podcast.
Wordpress also makes it easy to create special "members-only" pages-- pages that require a password. So I may add more bonus material, such as bonus lessons, short videos, etc. for members-only.
Meanwhile, its a lot of work to learn the new system, and all the various plug-ins I need.
I'm also working to put many of our main web pages on Wordpress.
Hopefully, you'll like the result once I'm finished.
Oh.. and I haven't forgotten about the Transcript Contest.
I have started to read some of the entries-- a winner will be chosen soon :P
Really ;)
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Why so few blog and podcast posts recently?
Well, I'm currently working to move the blog (again!!)-- this time to the EffortlessEnglishClub.com URL.
So I uploaded Wordpress and am trying to learn how to use it. Another system to learn-- ugh :(
But I think Wordpress will have advantages long term. Ill be able to do a lot more with the site... and be able to integrate the lesson pages, the blog posts, and the podcast.
Wordpress also makes it easy to create special "members-only" pages-- pages that require a password. So I may add more bonus material, such as bonus lessons, short videos, etc. for members-only.
Meanwhile, its a lot of work to learn the new system, and all the various plug-ins I need.
I'm also working to put many of our main web pages on Wordpress.
Hopefully, you'll like the result once I'm finished.
Oh.. and I haven't forgotten about the Transcript Contest.
I have started to read some of the entries-- a winner will be chosen soon :P
Really ;)
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Monday, July 7, 2008
The Transcript
Here's the transcript for the contest, I'll choose a winner soon:
----------------------------------------
Hello, this is AJ and today we have a special podcast. Today we have a contest. This is a transcription contest so I’m going to speak about a subject and you need to listen and write down what I say and then you need to send me your transcripts. Send me the text from this podcast. Send it as a personal message to my forum. So send it to me in the Effortless English forums and send it as a personal message. So this is obviously for members. So here we go. I’m just going to talk for probably about five minutes spontaneously. You need to write down the text of what I say.
What I’m going to talk about is an idea that Tomoe and I have been talking about and that is we are going to start a physical Effortless English club or actually, it won’t be an Effortless English club, it will be an Effortless Language club. So, excuse me, the idea is that we’re going to get a little room or a little building, some physical space, and we’re going to teach some language classes using the Effortless English method or the Effortless method.
So I’m going to teach some English classes and she’s going to teach some Japanese classes. I’m also going to train some teachers, train some volunteers to teach them the method so that it doesn’t just depend on me. So it will be kind of be like a school but I don’t want to call it a school. I want it to be an interesting environment, a club in the sense of like a membership club or a social club or even a country club, but you know, not for rich people.
Dammit, excuse me, got a cough. So anyway, I’m not sure what the name exactly will be but something probably like the San Francisco Effortless Language Club and of course we’ll have language programs as I just said but we’re also going to have social programs and motivational programs.
I’ve often thought about having my own school and there are kind of some main points that I always think would be important for a physical school. One of course are the lessons or the teaching method and I already have that. That’s the Effortless English method. But there are other important parts and the second important part for a school is the atmosphere, the physical environment. I think schools are ugly, butt ugly in fact and I’ve always thought I wanted to create a space that had mojo, that had some special quality, an interesting atmosphere, an atmosphere that was kind of transcendent or transformational so that when you walk in to this school or club or room, instantly your feeling changes, you have some kind of shift in your emotional state.
Maybe you were tired, maybe you were bored, maybe you were stressed before, but just by walking into this physical space, you change and get some more energy and you feel a little bit better. All of us can think of certain spaces like that.
Sorry, I’ve had this cough for about two weeks, excuse me, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. So anyway we can all think of these sort of kind of spaces. For example, some temples or churches are like this. You walk in and there’s instantly some kind of magical quality. Even sometimes a coffee shop or a restaurant can have that quality. You walk in and just by going into this physical space because of the decorations, the colors, the sound and the way it’s painted, what’s hanging on the walls, all of that, even the smells, create a change in you. So that’s powerful and I think we should use it in education. I think we should make schools that are beautiful and inspiring. We don’t have much money so I’m going to have to do this on a small budget but that’s one of the requirements for me.
Another requirement is a motivational curriculum and this is something that all schools neglect or almost all schools neglect. You know, they have their teaching method which is usually bad. They have their physical space which is usually ugly and then they totally neglect the whole idea of motivation. But I think that motivation, emotion, is equally important to teaching method because the biggest problem with language students, any language, any foreign language, is that they quit, right, because they get bored or they get discouraged and they give up. So we have to support, help, and teach learners how to manage their emotions, how to build their motivation, how to build their enthusiasm, how to support and build and increase their passion and energy for learning the language. So I want that to be a component of our club, our school, our program as well, helping our members increase and support their emotion, enthusiasm, and passion for learning the language. Those will be the three main parts of our new San Francisco Effortless Language Club and I’ll be talking more about that as we develop it.
Alright, well get working. You’re going to have to listen to this many times and type or write this and I guess you’re going to have to type it because you have to send it to me in the forums as a personal message. I will check and the best transcript, the text that is the closest to what I actually said in my audio, you’ll be the winner and everybody will love you, yay! Ok, good luck. You have one week, you have seven days to finish your transcript and send it to me. Bye.
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
----------------------------------------
Hello, this is AJ and today we have a special podcast. Today we have a contest. This is a transcription contest so I’m going to speak about a subject and you need to listen and write down what I say and then you need to send me your transcripts. Send me the text from this podcast. Send it as a personal message to my forum. So send it to me in the Effortless English forums and send it as a personal message. So this is obviously for members. So here we go. I’m just going to talk for probably about five minutes spontaneously. You need to write down the text of what I say.
What I’m going to talk about is an idea that Tomoe and I have been talking about and that is we are going to start a physical Effortless English club or actually, it won’t be an Effortless English club, it will be an Effortless Language club. So, excuse me, the idea is that we’re going to get a little room or a little building, some physical space, and we’re going to teach some language classes using the Effortless English method or the Effortless method.
So I’m going to teach some English classes and she’s going to teach some Japanese classes. I’m also going to train some teachers, train some volunteers to teach them the method so that it doesn’t just depend on me. So it will be kind of be like a school but I don’t want to call it a school. I want it to be an interesting environment, a club in the sense of like a membership club or a social club or even a country club, but you know, not for rich people.
Dammit, excuse me, got a cough. So anyway, I’m not sure what the name exactly will be but something probably like the San Francisco Effortless Language Club and of course we’ll have language programs as I just said but we’re also going to have social programs and motivational programs.
I’ve often thought about having my own school and there are kind of some main points that I always think would be important for a physical school. One of course are the lessons or the teaching method and I already have that. That’s the Effortless English method. But there are other important parts and the second important part for a school is the atmosphere, the physical environment. I think schools are ugly, butt ugly in fact and I’ve always thought I wanted to create a space that had mojo, that had some special quality, an interesting atmosphere, an atmosphere that was kind of transcendent or transformational so that when you walk in to this school or club or room, instantly your feeling changes, you have some kind of shift in your emotional state.
Maybe you were tired, maybe you were bored, maybe you were stressed before, but just by walking into this physical space, you change and get some more energy and you feel a little bit better. All of us can think of certain spaces like that.
Sorry, I’ve had this cough for about two weeks, excuse me, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. So anyway we can all think of these sort of kind of spaces. For example, some temples or churches are like this. You walk in and there’s instantly some kind of magical quality. Even sometimes a coffee shop or a restaurant can have that quality. You walk in and just by going into this physical space because of the decorations, the colors, the sound and the way it’s painted, what’s hanging on the walls, all of that, even the smells, create a change in you. So that’s powerful and I think we should use it in education. I think we should make schools that are beautiful and inspiring. We don’t have much money so I’m going to have to do this on a small budget but that’s one of the requirements for me.
Another requirement is a motivational curriculum and this is something that all schools neglect or almost all schools neglect. You know, they have their teaching method which is usually bad. They have their physical space which is usually ugly and then they totally neglect the whole idea of motivation. But I think that motivation, emotion, is equally important to teaching method because the biggest problem with language students, any language, any foreign language, is that they quit, right, because they get bored or they get discouraged and they give up. So we have to support, help, and teach learners how to manage their emotions, how to build their motivation, how to build their enthusiasm, how to support and build and increase their passion and energy for learning the language. So I want that to be a component of our club, our school, our program as well, helping our members increase and support their emotion, enthusiasm, and passion for learning the language. Those will be the three main parts of our new San Francisco Effortless Language Club and I’ll be talking more about that as we develop it.
Alright, well get working. You’re going to have to listen to this many times and type or write this and I guess you’re going to have to type it because you have to send it to me in the forums as a personal message. I will check and the best transcript, the text that is the closest to what I actually said in my audio, you’ll be the winner and everybody will love you, yay! Ok, good luck. You have one week, you have seven days to finish your transcript and send it to me. Bye.
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
English Class
English Class. How do we make it Remarkable? How do we create an incredible English Class?
I'm asking myself that question everyday now, because we are starting a San Francisco Effortless Language Club-- An English conversation club.
But not only English. We'll also teach Japanese. Hopefully, we'll soon add Spanish and maybe other languages too.
But I don't want a normal English Class. Most English classes are boring and ineffective. Ours will be effective. I already know that because I'll be using the same Effortless English method I use in my mp3 English Lessons.
But I think that a great teaching method is only part of being remarkable. A truly great class needs more.
To be great, an English class needs to support students' emotions. It needs to inspire them, motivate them, energize them, and entertain them.
A great English class must also be a true community-- a place of friendship, where meaningful connections are made between learners, and between teachers and learners.
A great English class must be a beautiful place. The room must be decorated beautifully-- in a way that instantly and automatically makes learners feel both relaxed and alert.
Of course, all of this will evolve. We're starting small... with a tiny office space and a couple of students.
But our goal is big, and its absolutely not modest: Our goal is to have the Greatest English Class in the world!
PS: A great side-benefit of the SF Effortless English Class is that we'll have more mp3 English lessons. I will record myself teaching every class... and every few months we'll sell the new collection of lessons!
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
I'm asking myself that question everyday now, because we are starting a San Francisco Effortless Language Club-- An English conversation club.
But not only English. We'll also teach Japanese. Hopefully, we'll soon add Spanish and maybe other languages too.
But I don't want a normal English Class. Most English classes are boring and ineffective. Ours will be effective. I already know that because I'll be using the same Effortless English method I use in my mp3 English Lessons.
But I think that a great teaching method is only part of being remarkable. A truly great class needs more.
To be great, an English class needs to support students' emotions. It needs to inspire them, motivate them, energize them, and entertain them.
A great English class must also be a true community-- a place of friendship, where meaningful connections are made between learners, and between teachers and learners.
A great English class must be a beautiful place. The room must be decorated beautifully-- in a way that instantly and automatically makes learners feel both relaxed and alert.
Of course, all of this will evolve. We're starting small... with a tiny office space and a couple of students.
But our goal is big, and its absolutely not modest: Our goal is to have the Greatest English Class in the world!
PS: A great side-benefit of the SF Effortless English Class is that we'll have more mp3 English lessons. I will record myself teaching every class... and every few months we'll sell the new collection of lessons!
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
MP3 English Lessons Are More Relaxing
Relax. Really :) When you learn English,.. relax. Relaxation is very important. Bored and stressed students learn much more slowly. Relaxed and happy students learn FASTER. This is not just my opinion-- its what the research shows.
But are most English classes relaxing? No.
Most have the following basic goal: Speak Dammit!
That's right. Most schools are trying to force, coerce, trick, bribe, pressure, or beg their students to speak. There is a lot of pressure on students to speak.
Often, the teacher will directly ask questions to one student. Everyone looks at the student. The student's heart beats faster. Do they feel relaxed?
This is why I love mp3 English Classes. With an mp3 English Class, there is no pressure. MP3 English Lessons are no-stress.
With our Effortless English Lessons, you just relax and listen. If you want to, you can answer the easy questions in the Mini-Story lessons. But you don't have to.
Effortless English is a listen-first approach. The key to great speaking is great listening! You shouldn't force yourself to speak... and no one else should force you to speak.
When you listen enough and when you listen correctly to good lessons, you will eventually speak automatically. The words will come out of your mouth and you won't think, you won't feel stress.
Until that happens, don't worry about speaking. Don't force it. Just listen to our mp3 English Lessons. Learn to speak by LISTENING-- that is the Effortless English key to success!
You can do it.
Relax. Listen.
Smile.
Laugh.
Enjoy your English learning.
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
But are most English classes relaxing? No.
Most have the following basic goal: Speak Dammit!
That's right. Most schools are trying to force, coerce, trick, bribe, pressure, or beg their students to speak. There is a lot of pressure on students to speak.
Often, the teacher will directly ask questions to one student. Everyone looks at the student. The student's heart beats faster. Do they feel relaxed?
This is why I love mp3 English Classes. With an mp3 English Class, there is no pressure. MP3 English Lessons are no-stress.
With our Effortless English Lessons, you just relax and listen. If you want to, you can answer the easy questions in the Mini-Story lessons. But you don't have to.
Effortless English is a listen-first approach. The key to great speaking is great listening! You shouldn't force yourself to speak... and no one else should force you to speak.
When you listen enough and when you listen correctly to good lessons, you will eventually speak automatically. The words will come out of your mouth and you won't think, you won't feel stress.
Until that happens, don't worry about speaking. Don't force it. Just listen to our mp3 English Lessons. Learn to speak by LISTENING-- that is the Effortless English key to success!
You can do it.
Relax. Listen.
Smile.
Laugh.
Enjoy your English learning.
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Transcribe Contest 1
You write the text for this podcast!
Send it to me as a Personal Message in the Forums!
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Send it to me as a Personal Message in the Forums!
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
Friday, June 20, 2008
New mp3 English Squidoo Lens
Hi. I just created a Squidoo Lens for mp3 English speaking lessons.
What is a Squidoo lens?
Well, its a super-simple web page that's designed to summarize key information on a topic.
My Squidoo lens, for example, summarizes all the mp3 English speaking lessons that I recommend. I have links to all of our lessons, our email course, and other great sources for English listening mp3s.
By using all the mp3s that I recommend, you improve your English speaking very very fast.
Look at my Squidoo Lens, and link to it, at:
http://www.squidoo.com/effortlessenglishclub
And then, why not create your own Squidoo lens. Make a list of YOUR favorite english speaking lessons, websites, podcasts, and books. Its super easy to make one!
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
What is a Squidoo lens?
Well, its a super-simple web page that's designed to summarize key information on a topic.
My Squidoo lens, for example, summarizes all the mp3 English speaking lessons that I recommend. I have links to all of our lessons, our email course, and other great sources for English listening mp3s.
By using all the mp3s that I recommend, you improve your English speaking very very fast.
Look at my Squidoo Lens, and link to it, at:
http://www.squidoo.com/effortlessenglishclub
And then, why not create your own Squidoo lens. Make a list of YOUR favorite english speaking lessons, websites, podcasts, and books. Its super easy to make one!
Sign Up For My Free 7 Day Email Course. Enter Your Email Below, Now:
Listen To This Article at:
The Effortless English Podcast.
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